13 Sep
2009

This post sponsored by VINTAGE CHRISTMAS CARDS OldSchoolArts.com

Halle Berry and Ellen DeGeneresNew judge on “American Idol“, Ellen DeGeneres, is embroiled in a scandalous flouting of music copyright laws by her Warner Bros. Television TV talk show, “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” producers, Telepictures Productions, failure to pay for licenses for the music played on the show. When asked why they hadn’t obtained licenses to use the songs, DeGeneres’s producers, in a shocking statement, said they didn’t “roll that way.”

The world’s biggest record labels filed a lawsuit last Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Nashville, claiming Ellen’s show played a staggering 1,000-plus songs without permission, including some of the most popular songs of the day, which the record labels don’t license for daytime television at any price. Songs cited in the suit include Michael Jackson’s “Thriller“; The Beach Boys‘ “Good Vibrations,” and Will Smith’s “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It.” Recording companies in the lawsuit include Arista Music, Atlantic Recording Corp., Capitol Records, Motown Record Company, Sony Music Entertainment, Virgin Records America, and Warner Bros. Records.

LA-tees.com t-shirts and gifts

The lawsuit, which has no specified dollar amount being sought in damages, states:

“As sophisticated consumers of music, Defendants knew full well that, regardless of the way they rolled, under the Copyright Act, and under state law for the pre-1972 recordings, they needed a license to use the sound recordings lawfully.”

Digital Cheeseburger is aghast. Although distanced, technically-speaking, from the lawsuit, Ellen DeGeneres, at the very least must have loud, discordant twangs of profound embarrassment over becoming an “American Idol” judge, whose only connection to the music industry is through a massive lawsuit filed by major recording companies against her ‘day job’ show. At the very worst, she could be sensing herself as being a hypocrite, charged with the responsibility of nurturing talent show singing contestants into the possibility of them launching a music career, only to lose out on royalty earnings stolen from them by the likes of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”


 
Share this post: Share this post with the world.
  • TimesURL
  • Gatorpeeps
  • Muti
  • Twitter
  • Posterous
  • Facebook
  • laaik.it
Retweet this post
SCROLL DOWN TO MAKE COMMENT

MORE FROM DIGITAL CHEESEBURGER


FROM AROUND THE WEB

You might also like

Paula Abdul Spoofs Ellen DeGeneres
Former "Americsn Idol" judge, Paula Abdul, on the new series of "VH1 Divas," Abdul impersonates her...
Ellen Is New ‘American Idol’ Judge
Fox announced that Ellen DeGeneres will replace Paula Abdul as a judge on "American Idol." Idol has a...
Paula Abdul’s Song and Dance
Troubled former Lakers pompom shaker Paula Abdul is in drama, yet again. American Idol still has...
Kate Gosselin ‘Targeted and Torn Apart’ (VIDEO)
Kate Gosselin of TLC reality TV show "Jon & Kate Plus 8" is back on the whine again, this time opening...

1 comment

  • Comment by
    Barry
    20 Sep 2009

    LOL great start Ellen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Name


Email (will not pubblished)


Website/URL

1 CommentAmerican Idol, Current Events, Ellen DeGeneres, Michael Jackson, Music, TV, Warner Bros. Television Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Get Adobe Flash playerPlugin by wpburn.com wordpress themes
US - Scoreboard Banner - Top Performer 728x90

Hot Celebrities & Cool Topics